When Cole Harrington ran away from our wedding for the seventh time because of his childhood sweetheart, the Harrington family personally came to apologize.

"We'll add another five kilos of gold to the bride price. Three buildings in the Southwest. And nine prime-location storefronts in the city center. Consider it the Harrington family's compensation."

Before the words had fully settled, a careless laugh from Cole came through the phone.

"Grandpa, do you really think she's worth that much? Believe it or not, I could pick up a random rock off the street and still coax her into being completely obedient.

"Instead of wasting all those assets on her, why not give them to me so I can invest them in Liv's gallery?"

Henry Harrington hurriedly hung up the phone, then looked at me with an awkward expression.

Soft snickers rippled through the crowd. Everyone was waiting for me to swallow the humiliation in silence, just as I had before.

But this time—

I had already received this kind of "compensation" six times. The novelty had long since worn off.

The same was true for Cole himself.

After a moment of thought, I raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the crowd—at the illegitimate younger brother whom Cole had always despised the most.

A smile slowly curved across my lips.

"The man that I marry becomes the heir to the Harrington family. That was our deal, right?"

Seeing I wasn't joking, everyone froze in shock.

After all, this wasn't the first time Cole Harrington had fled from our wedding. Back when "Monroe Heiress Abandoned" trended across social media and my family endured six months of ridicule, I'd never once mentioned calling off the engagement.

Henry Harrington rushed to soothe me. "Cole's just confused for the moment. Give him a little more time..."

He called Cole again, but barely got a few words out before being cut off.

"Stop trying to fool me. No matter how angry Avery gets, she'd never say she won't marry me. Besides, it's not like I'm breaking up with her. I'm just keeping Liv company while she clears her head. I'll be back."

In the background, Olivia Davenport's coy voice drifted through. "Cole, I'm helping you test her! If she still wants to marry you after being abandoned this many times, that proves her feelings are real!"

Listening to their brazen flirtation, I felt my lips twist into a bitter smile. "You're that confident I'll keep waiting for you?"

Apparently caught off guard that I was listening, Cole paused. When he spoke again, his voice softened. "Avery, you know how Liv is. She's depended on me since we were kids—she's having a hard time accepting my marriage. Can we postpone things a little longer? Once I've helped her through this, we'll start fresh."

Six postponements, excluding this one. Was that not enough?

When she first learned Cole and I were together, Olivia had rushed back to Baveloria and made a scene. He'd stood there stone-faced, swearing in front of me that he only saw her as a sister. But later, for this "sister" of his, he'd made me the laughingstock of Larklyn City.

Henry's voice crackled with frustration. "The wedding starts in three hours. I've booked your ticket—get your ass here now! There are reporters camped outside waiting for a scandal. Have you considered how this makes Avery look?"

"I—"

Hesitation crept into Cole's voice, and despite everything, my heart clenched.

Then Olivia's whine cut through. "Cole, I already bought the movie tickets. If you leave, I'll just find another man to watch with me. It's not like I lack options!"

"Absolutely not!" His voice sharpened with possessive irritation.

When he addressed me again, his tone dripped with weary resignation. "Avery, I really can't get away right now. You've handled this before—it's nothing you can't manage."

He dismissed it so casually, as if the humiliation I'd endured under those flashing cameras meant nothing. As if their jeers and pitying glances were trivial inconveniences.

My chest constricted with a dull ache. A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. "Do whatever you want."

Whether he came back or not no longer mattered.

Too eager to get back to Olivia, Cole missed the shift in my voice. "There, don't be mad. I brought you a present."

A photo pinged on my phone. A delicate chain dangled from his fingers.

Another piece Olivia had worn.

I'd become her dumping ground.

I remembered the first gift he'd ever given me—a red women's watch. Red was my least favorite color, but because it came from him, I treasured it. Until the day I took it in for repairs and learned from the serial number that its previous owner had been Olivia.

When I confronted him, Cole showed no guilt whatsoever. "I'm no good at picking gifts. Liv was just helping out. Don't be so petty."

He claimed he couldn't pick gifts, but everyone in Larklyn City knew better. Every year on Olivia's birthday, Cole booked the city's most expensive viewing platform and lit up the sky with fireworks that the whole city could see. Jewelry that belonged in auction houses flowed endlessly before her to choose from.

The thought he invested in me didn't amount to one ten-thousandth of what he lavished on her.

Now, he couldn't even be bothered to buy something new to placate me.

As if deaf to the bitterness in my words, Olivia chirped happily, "Cole's gift for you was my pick! Hope you like it. No need to thank me!"

Olivia laughed triumphantly and urged Cole to hang up.

Henry's face clouded with shame. He couldn't bring himself to ask me to keep waiting for Cole to come around.

"You're sure about Julian? His background—"

I cut him off, my gaze locked on the turbulent depths of Julian Harrington's eyes. I drew a deep breath. "I choose him."

My mother had once mentioned seeing Julian at an exclusive private auction. This illegitimate son was far more complicated than Henry imagined.

Love or money—I had to secure one of them.

The groom's attire would need remaking, so Julian and I set our wedding for a week later. Henry's eyes held a complex expression as he sighed heavily. "The day you marry, I'll announce the change in Harrington family inheritance."

With the groom changed, everything else had to follow suit. When I visited the jewelry store to select new wedding bands, I unexpectedly ran into Cole and Olivia, just returned to the country.

Our eyes met, and the warmth drained from Cole's face. "Avery, you're quite something—managing to convince Grandpa to freeze my cards."

His voice dripped with disdain. "I've always hated being forced into things. Don't think just because I'm back, I'll marry you."

A flicker of annoyance crossed his features. "What, you tracked my movements and came here to ambush me?"

Olivia gave him a playful shove. "She's devoted to you—don't be so harsh!"

Without any pretense of discretion, she linked her arm through his and grinned at me. "That's just how he is. Don't take it personally. I promise I'll train him up properly before handing him back to you."

Cole let her cling to him, his expression one of pure indulgence.

But before, when we'd shopped together and I'd merely tried to hold his hand, he'd always slip away with practiced ease. "So many people watching—it's awkward."

So, it was only my touch that felt awkward.

I breathed deeply, forcing down the storm of emotions roiling inside me. "Don't worry. I won't force you to marry me."

Cole blinked, his brow furrowing just as a sales associate approached. "Miss Monroe, your wedding rings are ready."

He scoffed, an eyebrow quirking upward. "Picking out wedding rings, and you claim you don't want to marry me?" He grabbed my hand. "Put it on. Let me see how it fits."

His voice faltered. His gaze fixed on the faded indentation around my finger where a ring used to sit. "Where's the ring I gave you?"

"I threw it away." My voice was flat.

The day I decided to switch grooms, I'd tossed it. It was the first gift Cole had ever given me, our initials engraved inside the band. The notoriously unyielding young master's ears had turned uncharacteristically red as he shoved it into my hand. "I engraved it myself. Lose it, and you'll answer to me."

But in the end, he was the one who lost it first.

When I fished his broken ring from the trash, Cole rubbed his nose sheepishly. "Liv got drunk and insisted on seeing it. Next thing I knew, it was like this. Just throw it out—I'll make you another one."

But I waited. I waited until the mark on his finger faded completely.

He never did.

Cole's brow furrowed deeply, his gaze fixed irritably on my empty hand. "Can you stop with the games? I told you I'd marry you, and I meant it. There's no need for these little manipulative tricks."

Olivia tugged at his sleeve, pouting. "Cole, this is the latest limited edition! I've been trying to get my hands on it forever!"

His frown softened as he handed her the ring box. "Want to try it on?"

Her eyes lit up, and she reached for the box.

I caught her wrist, my voice turning cold. "Did no one ever teach you not to touch things that don't belong to you?"

Before I'd even applied any pressure, Olivia's eyes welled up, and she cried out in pain.

Cole panicked and shoved me aside. My lower back slammed into a sharp table corner, and the agony made my vision go white.

Olivia blinked back tears, her voice accusatory. "I just wanted to look. Why did you have to be so rough?"

Cole's face twisted with concern for her as he shouted at me. "She's crying from the pain, Avery! Don't you think you've gone too far?"

He didn't even notice my ashen face, the result of genuine agony.

It was always like this. Whenever Olivia so much as furrowed her brow or shed a single tear, he'd rush unwaveringly to her defense.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and held out my hand. "Those are my wedding rings. Give them back."

His expression hardened as he pressed the box into Olivia's palm. "This style isn't right for wedding bands. Pick something else."

Wrong for a wedding ring. Another convenient excuse to make me yield to Olivia.

And besides, I wasn't marrying him anymore. Why should his opinion matter?

I opened my mouth to tell Cole about the change in grooms, but he'd already scooped Olivia into his arms. "I don't want to hear your justifications. If you keep targeting Liv, I'll have to seriously reconsider our relationship."

I watched his retreating back, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

'No need, Cole. I've already made that decision for you.'

In the days leading up to the wedding, gossip about Cole and Olivia's romantic getaway flooded every corner of social media. Everyone was waiting to see how I'd react.

The social circle had even started taking bets—most convinced I'd marry Cole no matter how many times he abandoned me. Word had it that when Olivia learned the families were planning another wedding, she'd thrown in her entire savings, hoping to cash in.

This time, though, she was about to lose every last cent.

On the morning of the wedding, my phone rang before I'd even fully woken up. My assistant's voice crackled with panic. "Miss Monroe, Cole and his people are tearing apart the wedding venue!"

He'd fled from his own wedding, and now he wanted to ruin mine?

I arrived at the hotel, fury simmering beneath the surface. Cole stood directing workers to dismantle the flower arrangements. Before I could get a word out, he rounded on me.

"Didn't I tell you we're not getting married yet? What is this—forcing my hand by presenting me with a fait accompli?" He stepped closer, his voice cold. "Liv was very upset about that ring incident. Until she gives her blessing, the wedding's off."

I blocked a worker heading for the door, my voice icy. "Put everything back."

Cole's face darkened. "Don't listen to her!"

He turned to me, sneering. "Don't forget—I'm the Harrington heir. Even if she marries in, she answers to me."

'The heir? Not for much longer, Cole.' I smirked.

I was reaching for my phone to call the Harrington family when Olivia swept through the door in a wedding gown. She twirled, the skirt billowing around her, and batted her eyelashes at Cole. "I only mentioned I liked it, and you insisted I try it on. If you dare say I look bad, you'll pay!"

As if noticing me for the first time, she widened her eyes. "Avery? What are you doing here?"

I caught the accusatory undertone in her voice and smiled coldly. "Do I need your permission to attend my own wedding?" My gaze dropped to the dress. "Are you taking that off yourself, or do I have to get someone to help you?"

Cole stepped protectively in front of her. "Avery, enough!"

He'd trashed my wedding venue and she was wearing a gown that took two years to make—and I was the one going too far?

I turned to the security guards by the door. "Remove them both."

Cole grabbed my wrist, anger blazing in his eyes. "Playing the lady of the house before you've even married in?" He shoved me away and raised his voice. "Take everything out of here and burn it. Let her learn some respect."

The Harrington family, in a gesture of apology, had provided the staff for today's wedding. Unaware that the succession had changed, they scrambled to obey Cole's orders.

I watched a worker carry a portrait from the room and lunged forward. "Put that down."